st certain that she would find her uncle here. Perhaps he would be
angry with her for disturbing him; he might be finishing some very
important experiment. Should she go in? She hesitated, but only for a
moment; something seemed to urge her on. After some searching she found
the spring; the door flew open, and, holding her candle high, she went
in. She could not suppress a cry of terror when she saw that her uncle
lay stretched upon the floor. He moaned a little as she went towards
him, and she was thankful to hear his voice. Broken glass was strewed
upon the floor, and there was an unpleasant chemical odour in the room.
She knelt beside her uncle, and found that his head and face were cut,
that blood was flowing freely, and that his poor hands had suffered in
some dreadful way. She took her handkerchief and gently tried to wipe
his face. He murmured faintly, "Brandy--my cupboard--keys," and she
understood what he wished. She felt in his pocket for the keys, and,
saying that she would be back directly, she took the candle and went
quickly to the study, found the brandy, and got back again without being
seen. She did not call Lisbeth, as she felt sure that the doctor would
be very sorry if his hiding-place became known, and she hoped that he
might be able to get to his study before she gave the alarm.

Dr. Hunter swallowed some brandy, and it revived him. After a little
while Marjory asked him if he thought he could go to his study, and he
replied, "Yes, lassie; but you must help me."

Marjory's heart beat fast and her hands trembled as she assisted him to
rise. The least movement of his injured hands made him wince. Very
slowly and painfully the two made their way down the stairs and across
the old hall, till at last they reached the doctor's study. The exertion
had been too much for him, and he fainted. Marjory rushed to call
Lisbeth, saying that the doctor had come home, and that there had been
an accident.

Full of concern, the old lady bustled along from the kitchen. "Mercy on
us! what's this?" she cried when she saw her master. But she wasted no
time in words; she hurried away and soon returned with a basin of water
and a sponge, and a bottle of spirits, which she held under the doctor's
nose--an old-fashioned but often efficacious remedy.

"We maun hae Dr. Morison," she said; "an' how we're to come by him beats
me. Jean's awa to Braeside to help at the pairty, an' Peter he canna
walk a step; thae good-for-nough